The dragon saliva incense wafted gently, smoke curling and drifting. Xue Dongting watched the smoke for a long time, then gave a pained smile. She felt the idea she had just had was no use.
How was the wife of a fisherman from the eastern sea going to be able to offer Third Prince anything? Even if she did, what about Song Yuming?
A good while later the door opened and Song Yuming came in carrying a package. Xue Dongting saw the oiled paper package in his hand and smelled the faint scent of plum blossom. “What"s that?”
Song Yuming opened the oiled paper. Inside were four plum blossom cakes! He smiled. “Just so happened that the old cake seller, Old Zhang, pa.s.sed by and I bought four from him.”
She looked at the pastries, not quite believing his story. She never heard any peddler hawking his fare. How was he going to just run into a cake peddler by coincidence? Who knows how far he had to run off to to buy those.
She was touched, her eyes welled up. She held back her tears and forced a smile. “How lucky.”
Song Yuming handed her the pastries. “Eat them while they"re hot.”
Xue Dongting took them and felt their warmth through the oiled paper. “This is too many, let"s eat together.” She held one out to Song Yuming"s mouth.
He hesitated, not really wanting to eat it. She looked at him and inched the fragrant pastry closer until it touched his lips.
Song Yuming laughed and took a bite. Xue Dongting pursed her lips and smiled, watching him bite off half of it in one go and gulp it down without barely even tasting it. She laughed. “You eat like a cow munching on peonies.”
Song Yuming looked at her and smiled. “Then how should I eat it so I"m not like a cow munching on peonies?”
His gentle tone made her heart skip. She thought back to way he had kissed her on the boat the night before when she had a mouthful of cake and she blushed. She turned away and ignored him.
Song Yuming laughed loudly and went to the kitchen and brought back the congee and they it and the plum blossom cakes together.
When they had finished, he looked out the window at the sky. “Tomorrow I will take you to see Madame Qiao.”
On the third day after marriage, the new bride returns home. Xue Dongting had always thought of Mama Qiao as her own mother. As soon as he mentioned taking her back she nodded at once. “Okay.” But she was a bit embarra.s.sed. It was customary in this place to bring a gift when you returned, but Song Yuming was not from here and might not know of this custom. Even though Mama Qiao didn"t care about any of that, if they didn"t bring something they might be laughed at by the neighbors.
She thought and thought but decided not to mention it. Let the neighbors laugh if they wanted. She was just a lowly singsong girl anyway, she was already a laughingstock just getting married.
Song Yuming seemed not to notice her trepidation. He finished his congee and told her to stay in and not catch cold. He tidied up everything and went out.
Xue Dongting had nothing to do, but she spotted the red trunk that was her dowry at the end of the bed and went over to arrange the things inside. Mostly it was clothing. Before the wedding Mama Qiao had dragged her to the village to get some new clothes made. A corner of a bolt of dark gray cloth stuck out. She recalled Mama Qiao had bought it for her to make some clothes for Song Yuming. She took it out and rooted around for a pair of scissors and needle and threa. She was going to make the fisherman a new inner robe.
She didn"t know the fisherman"s size, so she went to get an old article from the cabinet. When she opened the cabinet door she caught the light scent of dragon saliva incense. In the back she saw a few items wrapped in a sash. She opened it and saw something grayish white that looked like a stone. She put one up to her nose and took a whiff and knew it was dragon saliva incense. She couldn"t help but knit her brows at this. She had been with Third Prince for ten years and was observant by nature, and so she could tell that these were top-grade dragon saliva incense that had been in the ocean for over a hundred years.